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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Bio: Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have
won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, ACFW Carol Award, RWA's RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National
Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in
print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail.
Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance
Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana.

Welcome back, Colleen. Why did you become an
author?

I’ve wanted to write since I was in first grade. J
I don’t really know why. I’m driven to write. I won’t ever quit writing. It’s
how I make sense out of the world.

If you weren’t an
author, what would be your dream job?

I’d be a naturopath. I love natural medicine, and I drive
everyone crazy by giving them health advice like don’t eat gluten. And yes,
that means you too. LOL

If you could have
lived at another time in history, what would it be and why?

I love the early 1900s. All those gorgeous dresses make me
salivate. Plus it was a very exciting time full of new inventions and new ways
of looking at the world. My next book out, The
Butterfly Palace, is set in 1904 so I’m steeped in my favorite time period
right now.

What place in the United States
have you not visited that you would like to?

Make that zero. J We just visited the
last of the 50 states when we went on an Alaskan cruise in early June.

How about a foreign
country you hope to visit?

I will visit Australia
and New Zealand
one day! I’ve loved reading about Australia since I was a little
girl.

I share that love of Australia and have read hundreds of books, both fiction and nonfiction, about the continent down under. What lesson has the
Lord taught you recently?

To take one day at a time. I’ve had such an incredibly busy
year that I’ve felt overwhelmed quite often. So I’m trying to look only at what
I have to do today.

Tell us about the featured book.

I adored writing Rosemary Cottage! There’s quite a
bit of me in the book. I love my brother Randy and know first hand how that
kind of grief feels. Amy thinks her brother died in a surfing accident, but she
receives an email indicating his death might not have been an accident. She
goes to Hope Beach to retrace Ben’s final weeks and see if she can discover
what really happened. She’s a midwife too, so I get to sprinkle in my favorite
health advice. J
Her search uncovers many secrets about her brother and puts her in harm’s way
as well. Of course there is a hunkyCoast Guard officer who
steps in to help her. He has a few secrets of his own.

Please give us the
first page of the book.

Prologue

The warm Atlantic water rushed past her limbs in a silken
caress. Gina Ireland loved summer, loved the water, the busy fisherman boating
to and fro, and the blue bowl of sky overhead. In the winter she missed
splashing in waves and was the first to hit the water every spring in her new
bikini.

She waved to her brother on the beach where he sat on the
blanket with her tiny daughter. He was as crazy about their Outer Banks island
as she was, and when he wasn’t working on the water, he was plopped on the
sand. Seven-month-old Raine squawked, objecting to being corralled off the
sand. She already had her Uncle Curtis wrapped around her finger. Gina too, for
that matter. The baby had changed everything.

Curtis waved his hand, then squatted on the blanket with the
baby. Other beach goers splashed in the waves, and the distant roar of jet skis
disrupted the serenity of her beloved HopeIsland.

Gina flipped to her back and closed her eyes as the waves
carried her on the whitecaps. She was different now, new and clean. The future
looked bright. The water held no fear for her. Once she’d entertained dreams of
winning an Olympic gold medal until life intervened, but contentment curled
along her spine. No need for a medal when she had everything right here.

The island had receded in the distance when she opened her
eyes and turned to her stomach again. She started back toward the beach with
long, sure strokes. When the shore was no nearer five minutes later, she paused
and trod water in the riptide that had seized her. She experienced only a
momentary stab of disquiet. The boating lane was near, and she could hail a
passing fishing boat if the current didn’t release her. She swam parallel to
the shore, then tried again, only to be thrust back by the strong tide.

Water can be calming and healing, but it can also be dangerous, as Amy Lange and Curtis Ireland both found out. Both lost their siblings to the sea, and they hope to find healing on Hope Island. But will they find it, or will their quest to find answers set them at odds with each other and with those who have secrets that need to stay hidden?

Find out in Colleen Coble’s latest book, Rosemary Cottage, which released July 9. To celebrate, Colleen is hosting a 12-day Nautical Summer Giveaway. From July 16-27, Colleen will be giving away a new nautical prize every day. She’ll announce the winners on July 29 on her website, so mark your calendars for that date to see if you were picked as a lucky winner!

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

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